Rotherham United v Stockport County: Millers seek a little souvenir from a terrible year

The outgoing year has been a pretty grim one for the Millers, who produced a guileless performance in their 1-0 reverse to visiting Wigan on Boxing Day.

After an atrocious second half of last season, with relegation from the Championship on the cards as soon as 2024 started, Steve Evans, pictured - who returned for a second stint in charge at the AESSEAL New York Stadium in April - is yet to change the narrative in a 2024-25 campaign which has seen Rotherham flatter to deceive.

They face an upwardly-mobile Stockport on Sunday who possess the one thing that the Millers lack, namely momentum, with County on an adventure which has seen them claim promotion from League Two and the Conference in recent seasons. Evans said: "Confidence levels are low, as you can imagine, within the group. But we get ready for Stockport, we have no other way.

"Myself, Paul (Raynor) and the coaching staff have to work as best as we can to get them in a confident frame of mind. We can all be lacking confidence, but the only thing that gives you confidence is being brave and strong and standing up and being counted."

Despite being narrowly edged out at form side Huddersfield on Thursday, fifth-placed Stockport remain in the sort of position that Millers supporters were envisaging their side to be in back in the summer. Instead, Rotherham languish in 18th spot, far closer to the relegation zone than the top six at the end of 2024.

"Everyone will write us off," continued Evans. "I’ve never had this in my career, but we will come back fighting. I don’t think the (Wigan) performance was at an ‘apology’ stage (to fans). It lacked a lot of things in individuals and makes us question some of those further.

"You see with the (Boxing Day) results. We almost drew at Mansfield and then they go to Peterborough and win. You see Charlton win two in a row and they are only four points off the play-offs."